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Austria to host 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games

ذو القعدة 26, 1433

Graz, Austria – 12 October 2012 –The world’s largest sports and humanitarian event is coming to Austria. Special Olympics announced today that Graz and Schladming in Styria, Austria, will be the host site for the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

In 2017, Austria will welcome almost 3,000 Special Olympics athletes from 110 nations to compete in nine Olympic-type winter sports. The Special Olympics World Winter Games will return to Austria, the site of the fifth Special Olympics World Winter Games in 1993 in Salzburg and Schladming. Approximately 1,600 athletes representing 63 nations participated in five sports during the 1993 World Games which were the first World Games held outside the United States.

“On behalf of our entire Special Olympics movement worldwide, I am thrilled to award our 2017 World Games to Graz and Schladming in the beautiful state of Styria,” said Dr. Timothy P. Shriver, Chairman and CEO of Special Olympics. “Austria was the first country outside the U.S. to host a Special Olympics World Games and helped us show the world the gifts and talents of our Special Olympics athletes. It is fitting that we would return to a country that has demonstrated its commitment to people with intellectual disabilities for decades and will embrace our athletes from around the world.”

Press event held today

At a press event in Weißer Saal today, a memorandum of agreement was
signed by Mayor Hermann Kröll, President of Special Olympics Austria and
Chairman of the 2017 Bid Committee, and Timothy Shriver. Governor Franz
Voves of Styria presided over the event and was joined by Franz Majcen,
President of the Styrian Parliament, Mayor Siegfried Nagl of Graz and
Mayor Jürgen Winter of Schladming.

“By hosting the 2017 Special
Olympics World Winter Games, Austria aims to strengthen and enrich the
Special Olympics movement in all relevant social areas. As a nation
that has been recognized for its work in human rights with a new
constitution that guarantees equal treatment for people with and without
disabilities, we look to use to the World Games to spread this message
of inclusion throughout the world,” stated Mayor Kröll, Chairman of the
2017 Bid Committee. “In the Styrian and Austrian tradition of warmth
and hospitality, the 2017 World Winter Games will be promoted as the
Heartbeat for the World, a place that will celebrate the extraordinary
gifts and talents of people with and without intellectual disabilities
joining together as one and a time to hail the lasting legacy of Special
Olympics’ founder, Eunice Kennedy Shriver.”

More about World Games

Every two years, thousands of Special Olympics athletes worldwide come together to showcase their athletic skills and celebrate the spirit of Special Olympics, which holds over 50,000 competitions a year. The first Special Olympics World Games took place in 1968 and since then have evolved into a world-class sporting event, attracting a wide range of sponsors, supporters and media. Alternating between Summer Games and Winter Games, Special Olympics World Games brings public attention to the talents and capabilities of people with intellectual disabilities, helping to change attitudes and break down barriers that excluded them from the mainstream of the community.

The most recent World Games were Special Olympics World Summer Games Athens 2011 held in Greece. In just over 100 days, the next Special Olympics World Games will be the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games to be held in PyeongChang, South Korea from 29 January to 5 February. More information can be found at www.2013SOPOC.org.

About Special Olympics

Special Olympics is an international organization that changes
lives through the power of sport by empowering people with
intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and
fostering communities of understanding and respect worldwide.
Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics
movement has grown from a few hundred athletes to 4 million
athletes in 170 countries worldwide, providing year-round sports
training, athletic competition and related programs. Special
Olympics takes place daily, changing the lives of people with
intellectual disabilities all over the world. Special Olympics
provides people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to
realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate
courage, and experience joy and friendship. Visit Special Olympics
at www.specialolympics.org.
Engage with us on: Twitter
@specialolympics; Facebook; YouTube, and specialolympicsblog.wordpress.com

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